Tag: LSU

Aug 30, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Jack Bech (18) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Ex-Princeton WR Tiger Bech, 28, killed in New Orleans attack

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Princeton wide receiver Tiger Bech, the older brother of TCU standout Jack Bech, was one of at least 15 people killed in a mass truck attack in New Orleans early Wednesday.

Tiger Bech, 28, died after being transported to a New Orleans hospital with critical injuries suffered during the incident described by officials as a terrorist attack, according to the athletic director, Kim Broussard, of Bech’s high school alma mater, St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana.

A scholarship athlete, Tiger Bech earned All-Ivy League honors twice as a return specialist at Princeton, catching 53 passes for 825 yards and three touchdowns over his career.

A 2021 graduate of Princeton, he was reportedly working as a trader at the New York brokerage firm Seaport Global.

His younger brother, Jack, declared for the 2025 NFL Draft in December after finishing his senior year at TCU with 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns. Jack Bech transferred to TCU for his final two years of eligibility after playing for LSU.

Jack Bech posted on X Wednesday, “Love you always brother ! You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.”

In the wake of the attack, the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed from Wednesday to Thursday, Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley announced Wednesday afternoon, citing public safety.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; LSU Tigers special teams Zavion Thomas (0) returns a kick off for a touchdown against the Baylor Bears in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Garrett Nussmeier helps LSU outlast Baylor in Texas Bowl

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Garrett Nussmeier passed for 304 yards and three touchdowns and LSU defeated Baylor 44-31 in the Texas Bowl on Tuesday in Houston.

Nussmeier threw two touchdowns to Trey’Dez Green, and Chris Hilton Jr. caught the other scoring pass and finished with 113 receiving yards for the Tigers (9-4). Zavion Thomas had a kickoff return for touchdown for LSU.

Sawyer Robertson passed for 445 yards and two touchdowns and Josh Cameron had eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bears (8-5), who hadn’t lost since Oct. 19. They squandered scoring opportunities by failing on 5 of 6 fourth-down conversion attempts.

The first possession of the second half ended when Robertson threw an incompletion on fourth-and-6 at the Tigers’ 9-yard line. But on the team’s next possession Robertson threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ashtyn Hawkins that trimmed the Tigers lead to 34-24.

Baylor started its next possession at the LSU 26 after Garmon Randolph intercepted Nussmeier, but on fourth-and-1 an errant shotgun snap caused a 36-yard loss, preserving the 1-point lead through the end of the third quarter.

Josh Williams ran 4 yards for a touchdown and Damian Ramos added a 43-yard field goal to push the lead to 20 before Dawson Pendergrass’ 3-yard touchdown run for the Bears completed the scoring.

LSU received the opening kickoff and drove to Nussmeier’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Green. On Baylor’s fifth offensive play Davhon Keys intercepted a Robertson pass and returned 41 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter Robertson threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Cameron to cut the lead in half. On the fifth play of the ensuing possession Nussmeier threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Hilton to increase the lead to 21-7.

Nussmeier threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Green for a 28-7 lead, and the Bears pulled within 14 on Pendergrass’ 1-yard touchdown run.

Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, then Baylor drove to Isaiah Hankins’ 23-yard field goal as time expired, leaving LSU with a 34-17 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Nov 16, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13) warms up prior to their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Riding win streak, Baylor eager to face LSU in Texas Bowl

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LSU began the season hopeful of qualifying for the expanded College Football Playoff.

Baylor found itself scrambling just to get bowl eligible after a 2-4 start.

The Tigers (8-4) didn’t come close to the CFP, but the Bears (8-4) have won six straight heading into the Texas Bowl in Houston, where the teams will meet Tuesday afternoon.

Dave Aranda became Baylor’s head coach in 2020. As LSU’s defensive coordinator, he helped the Tigers win the CFP championship following the 2019 season. In his second season with the Bears, he led them to the Big 12 title and a victory over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.

But after a 6-7 record in 2022, a 3-9 mark last season and a 2-4 start this season, Aranda’s future at the school appeared uncertain

Then Baylor came out of an open date to whip host Texas Tech 59-35 in Lubbock, Texas, on Oct. 19 and hasn’t lost since.

“There wasn’t any panic,” Aranda said of the poor start. “There wasn’t any doubt. There wasn’t any disbelief. There’s wasn’t any, ‘We have to throw this whole thing out and do something new.’ I think everybody knew that we had a good team and that we had to do X, Y and Z better, and these are the steps that we’ve got to do to do that.”

Sawyer Robertson finished the regular season third in the Big 12 in passer rating (155.0) and in touchdown passes (26). He said he’s eager to face a team from the SEC, which sent three teams to the CFP.

“It’s going to be good for me just because I get to see where I’m at. I get to just play against elite competition,” Robertson said. “That’s why you do what you do. That’s why you want to be in these types of games.”

Baylor has the enthusiasm of a winning streak that saved a teetering season, while LSU is playing in a less prestigious game than it envisioned. But Tigers coach Brian Kelly said he has seen no indication that his team won’t be emotionally ready.

“The morale has been great,” Kelly said. “Every guy that has been out there (at practice) wants to be out there. I’ve been in some (bowls) where you’re just trying to keep everybody to be motivated to be out there. The practices have been lively. It’s been fun.”

The Tigers’ prospects against Baylor got a boost when quarterback Garrett Nussmeier decided not to enter the NFL draft. In his first season as a starter, Nussmeier threw for the second-most yards (3,735) and the second-most touchdowns (26) in the SEC.

“Obviously it’s not where we want to be, but we get an opportunity to play another football game,” Nussmeier said. “I get another opportunity to play football with my teammates, and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.”

Nussmeier will be operating behind a makeshift offensive line after tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones opted out to prepare for the draft. Guard Garrett Dellinger’s status is uncertain. He hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in a loss Oct. 26 at Texas A&M.

–Field Level Media

Mississippi State's quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.

Former Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren Jr. transfers to LSU

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. announced on social media Sunday that he is transferring to LSU.

Van Buren, who has three years of eligibility remaining, made eight starts as a true freshman this season for Mississippi State (2-10). He played in 10 games and completed 140 of 256 passes (54.7 percent) for 1,886 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for five TDs.

Bulldogs starter Blake Shapen sustained a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the season against Florida on Sept. 21 and Van Buren took over. Shapen said Monday that he plans to return as a sixth-year senior in 2025.

LSU’s QB room includes starter Garrett Nussmeier, who announced his plans to return, as well as former Vanderbilt transfer AJ Swann.

The Tigers’ Class of 2025 recruiting has not included a quarterback after No. 1 prospect Bryce Underwood changed his commitment from LSU to Michigan last month.

“My family and I are forever thankful to coach (Jeff) Lebby, the staff, my teammates, the administrative team and the professors for their contributions to my growth as an individual,” Van Buren had posted on social media on Tuesday in announcing he was transferring. “For the past year, we have worked arm in arm to generate some memorable moments in coach Lebby’s first year, and I am confident there is more greatness to come from the program.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Van Buren was a four-star prospect out of Bowie, Md., who initially committed to Oregon before signing with Mississippi State.

–Former Nebraska quarterback Daniel Kaelin committed to Virginia on Sunday, he announced on social media.

The true freshman from Elkhorn, Neb., redshirted this season. Kaelin (6-foot-3, 220) was behind true freshman starter Dylan Raiola and junior Heinrich Haarberg on the depth chart.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) signals a first down against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

QB Garrett Nussmeier returning to LSU

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Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier announced Wednesday that he will return to LSU for his senior season.

“I am officially announcing that I am returning for my final year of eligibility, and I am fully committed to bringing this university a championship,” Nussmeier said in a video posted to X. “My teammates, coaches, and the fans will get the absolute best out of me every single day until we complete that goal.”

It is a big boost for the Tigers, as Nussmeier was projected to be a first- or second-round pick had he decided to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. There was also potential for Nussmeier to transfer elsewhere for his final season of eligibility.

Instead, he will return to an LSU program that lost out on the No. 1 recruit in next year’s class when Bryce Underwood flipped to Michigan.

Nussmeier, who is the son of Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, backed up 2024 first-round pick Jayden Daniels for two seasons before taking over as the starter this year. He helped LSU to an 8-4 record while throwing for 3,739 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Nussmeier also rushed for three scores.

The Tigers will conclude the season by playing Baylor in the Texas Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

–Field Level Media

Nov 30, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on against the Oklahoma Sooners during the second quarter at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly: LSU learning money talks or five-stars walk

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When it comes to reeling in five-star recruits, LSU coach Brian Kelly shared his displeasure with the notion that money talks or five-star players walk on Signing Day.

While Kelly checked himself and noted not all recruits manage the process the same, he is concerned that many coveted high school players aren’t seeking the best fit, but the biggest paycheck to commit.

“It’s not just about finding the right fit, it’s about the most money I can get,” Kelly said. “That’s unfortunate, but it’s the world we live in. You realign and readjust.”

Two five-star recruits who committed to LSU opted to sign elsewhere in the past week. The Tigers are still feeling scorned by the decision of No. 1 overall recruit and quarterback Bryce Underwood bailing to play for Michigan. According to reports, his NIL offer was over $10 million.

“These guys wanted to be here … that’s much more important to me than the guys who didn’t want to be here,” Kelly said.

Life in the SEC is loaded with high-end recruits and high dollars in the era of NIL, which Kelly said turns Signing Day into “tax day.”

“Your brand has to be backed up by dollars. If you want to be able to close some of these. We have to have participation from a donor base,” he said, adding a program-building collective is mandatory in today’s landscape.

LSU didn’t come up empty on Wednesday, and Kelly was in a celebratory mood over the addition of five-star cornerback DJ Pickett, who also has the skills and experience to play on offense.

“We believe he is hands down the best cornerback in the country,” Kelly said. “Incredible length at 6-4. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt there’s a lockdown corner, but he is as close as it gets. And, his film on offense might be even better. He’s just elite.”

–Field Level Media

Runningback Josh Williams 18 scores a touchdown as the LSU Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Nov 23, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium.

LSU stops 3-game slide with 24-17 win over Vanderbilt

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Josh Williams rushed for two touchdowns, Garrett Nussmeier passed for one and host LSU ended a three-game losing streak by defeating Vanderbilt 24-17 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.

Williams finished with 90 rushing yards and 61 receiving yards. Nussmeier completed 28 of 37 passes for 332 yards to lead the unranked Tigers (7-4, 4-3 SEC), who were No. 8 in the AP poll before the losing streak began.

Diego Pavia, who tossed a 63-yard touchdown pass on the Commodores’ first play from scrimmage, completed 13 of 24 throws for 186 yards and rushed six times for a team-high 43 yards and a touchdown.

On the first possession of the second half, Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4) converted a fourth-and-1 from its own 45 and reached the LSU 27. The drive stalled from there, and Brock Taylor kicked a 47-yard field goal to trim the Tigers’ lead to 14-10.

On the ensuing possession, LSU converted a fourth-and-5 when Nussmeier threw a 24-yard pass to CJ Daniels. Nussmeier connected with Kyren Lacy for a 12-yard score on the next play to increase the lead to 21-10 at the end of the third quarter.

Damian Ramos kicked a 28-yard field goal for the Tigers with 10:41 left in the game before the Commodores responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive to pull within seven. Pavia punctuated the possession with a 1-yard run to make it 24-17 with 5:47 remaining.

Vanderbilt never got the ball back as LSU moved 66 yards to run out the clock and send the Commodores to their second straight loss.

The hosts went three-and-out on the game’s first possession before Pavia connected with Quincy Skinner Jr. for Vanderbilt’s only touchdown until Pavis’s run in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing possession, LSU drove 90 yards, the final 20 of which came on Williams’ tying touchdown run.

LSU moved to the Commodores’ 3-yard line on its next drive, but Nussmeier threw incomplete on fourth-and-goal to leave the score 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Vanderbilt later went for a fourth-and-2 at the LSU 20 and Pavia threw an incomplete pass with 4:29 left in the first half. The Tigers then drove to Williams’ 21-yard touchdown run to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Belleville quarterback Bryce Underwood keeps the ball and runs against Saline during the second half of district final at Belleville High School in Belleville on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.

No. 1 prospect Bryce Underwood flips from LSU to Michigan

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class, reneged on his commitment to LSU and announced Thursday he will attend Michigan.

Underwood committed to LSU in early January but the Wolverines remained in contact with the Belleville, Mich. native. Less than two weeks before the start of the early signing period, he made it official that he’s headed to Ann Arbor during a social media video.

Speculation that Underwood might flip from LSU to Michigan picked up after four-star quarterback Carter Smith decommitted from the Wolverines in late October.

When Underwood announced his original commitment to LSU on Jan. 6 in the Belleville High cafeteria, Michigan was one of the three finalists along with Alabama.

The 6-foot-4 Underwood won two state titles at Belleville, which is located approximately 20 miles east from Ann Arbor. He fell short in both his junior and senior seasons.

Underwood’s high school career ended last Friday night when Belleville lost 35-21 to Novi Detroit Catholic Central in a Division I quarterfinal matchup.

Underwood bypassed Michigan in January two days before the Wolverines defeated Washington in the national championship game. At that time, there was heavy speculation that coach Jim Harbaugh would not return to Michigan.

Harbaugh indeed left for the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers and he was replaced by offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, who is 5-5 this season.

–Field Level Media

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates with the fans after scoring a touchdown against South Carolina Gamecocks during the third quarter at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.

Surging Vanderbilt swings into LSU for race to seventh win

Posted on | by Field Level Media

LSU and Vanderbilt are both 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the SEC as they prepare to meet Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.

Those numbers mean very different things to the programs.

The Tigers have been ranked as high as No. 8, but enter the week unranked for the first time this season after losing three straight games.

The Commodores, who were winless in the SEC last season and three times in the last four seasons, are excited about being bowl eligible with a marquee win to celebrate. Vandy claimed the program’s first victory ever against a No. 1-ranked team by beating Alabama.

Vanderbilt’s surge moved head coach Clark Lea from the proverbial hot seat to coach of the year candidacy. He will be facing Brian Kelly, his former boss when Lea was defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

The heat was turned up on Kelly after a 27-16 loss at Florida last Saturday.

“You have to examine everything that you do on a day-to-day basis and make sure that you’re addressing those things that are most important to getting the right outcomes,” Kelly said. “When you don’t get the right outcomes immediately it’s going to be, take this action, do this, bench this guy, fire that guy. For us it’s much more about understanding that we have a process in place. We have to stick with that process.”

The Commodores’ success led to Lea being named one of five finalists for the American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year on Tuesday.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made,” Lea said, “but we’re not satisfied.”

Vanderbilt, which lost 28-3 to visiting South Carolina two weeks ago, used an open date last week to let several players who were “banged up” heal, most notably star quarterback Diego Pavia, who has a lower leg injury but is expected to start against LSU.

“This is a great identity game where we need to be really good in all three phases,” Lea said.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2023; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers running back Josh Williams (27) rushes against Florida Gators linebacker Scooby Williams (17) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

No. 22 LSU, Florida fight to quiet critics as losses add up

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Florida coach Billy Napier’s job is not in immediate jeopardy. Neither is LSU coach Brian Kelly’s.

But as No. 22 LSU prepares to face Florida in an SEC game Saturday in Gainesville, Fla., the disappointing performance of the teams under both third-year coaches is dominating storylines around the programs.

Speculation about Napier’s possible dismissal swirled after a 1-2 start that featured home losses by 24 points to Miami and by 13 points to Texas A&M. But amid the Gators showing modest midseason improvement, athletic director Scott Stricklin said last week that the coach will remain in his position going forward. The Gators (4-5, 2-4 SEC) then went out and watched Texas take a 42-0 lead on its way to a 49-17 victory.

Kelly has seven years remaining on his 10-year $100 million contract, so firing him doesn’t seem feasible anytime soon, but the Tigers (6-3, 3-2) have lost two in a row, including a 42-13 embarrassment at home against Alabama last week. The game before that, they led Texas A&M 17-7 at halftime on the road before getting outscored 31-6 in the second half.

The losing coach Saturday will likely endure intensifying criticism.

“I feel pretty confident we know what we are doing,” Kelly said. “Am I happy about what happened? No. Are our players? No. I am not in a position to worry about what people are saying about the overall health of the program.”

Each of Kelly’s first two teams finished with 10 victories after winning bowl games. This team will have to sweep its last three regular-season games and win a bowl to match those two.

“We have one of the top recruiting classes in the country,” Kelly said. “Those things are only going to continue to get better. A championship program is what we are going to have here. There are going to be some stumbles along the way, but we will get back up and we are going to keep building our program where it needs to be. And that’s a championship program.”

After the 1-2 start, Florida won three of its next four and the loss was a 23-17 overtime defeat at then-No. 8 Tennessee. But starting quarterback Graham Mertz suffered a season-ending torn ACL in that game and two games later, freshman DJ Lagway strained a hamstring in a loss to Georgia.

Third-string quarterback Aidan Warner struggled against Texas, completing 12 of 25 passes for 132 yards. The Gators are hopeful Lagway will be available Saturday.

Napier said the offense’s problems against the Longhorns weren’t all Warner’s fault.

“I think we can play better around him,” he said.

Florida hosts No. 11 Ole Miss and visits Florida State in its final two games, has to win two of its final three games to salvage bowl eligibility.

“We’ve been very inconsistent,” Napier said. “We’re getting closer. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Obviously, I’m disappointed with Saturdays. I do think our group is trending in the right direction. We’re not there yet.”

–Field Level Media